Good Honest Dollar $$

(Picture provided by Dave Walsh)

The previous two discussions in this series focused upon the question of whether or not workers should be allowed to form unions.

Today, I would like to look at what I feel should constitute the fundamental role of unions in modern society.

 
The core functions of unions
Whilst the specific role which unions will play will vary from country to country, broadly speaking, I feel that the role of unions in the majority of countries in which they operate can be summarized in terms of three broad functions:

 
• Collective bargaining.

In my view, the central and most important function of a union is to represent its members during the workplace bargaining process, and to do everything within their power to ensure that workplace agreements deliver fair and equitable outcomes for workers.

 
• Advocacy of worker rights.

This should occur both at a state/national level and at an international level.

At a state/national level, unions should seek to take an active role in terms of representing the interests of employees during the process of policy formation with respect to any legislation which has the potential to have a material impact upon their working lives.

In addition, at all levels, unions should work to promote public awareness in relation to a broad range of work related issues, including, but not limited to equality of opportunity, freedom from discrimination and workplace safety.

 
• Represent workers in disputes.

In the event of workplace disputes, unions should provide a representative to work on the employee’s behalf to resolve the dispute with the employer.

Where necessary, they should also provide members with legal advice and/or representation.

 
How unions should conduct themselves
In addition to defining the role of unions, I feel that it is important to determine some guiding principles as to how unions should conduct themselves in the course of fulfilling their obligations to members.

 
• A constructive approach.

It takes one to start a fight – two to have a constructive relationship.

Unions should always seek a constructive approach in their dealings with governments and employers, and no form of militant action, such as legal action or stop work action, should be employed unless they are dealing with parties which are hostile toward the rights of workers.

Over the longer term, constructive and responsible behavior from unions is the most effective approach toward the achievement of beneficial outcomes for workers.

 
• Accountability to members.

Unions exist to serve their members, and their conduct must at all times reflect full accountability to those whom they serve and represent.

Union leaders must be elected on a fully democratic basis, and should seek feedback on a consistent basis to ensure that their policies and actions reflect the desires of members.

 
• Compliance with the law.

When operating in non-democratic countries, particularly those in which governments adopt a hostile attitude toward the rights of workers, I do not believe that either unions or the workers they represent are obligated from an ethical viewpoint to comply with legal requirements which are grossly restrictive or unreasonable.

However, when operating within countries which have a democratic system of government, unions must observe all relevant legal requirements and act within the confines of the law at all times in the course of carrying out their functions.

To do this demonstrates a basic show of respect for both duly elected lawmakers and the general public who elect them.

 
• Stick to their mandate.

In terms of social or political activity, unions are given a mandate to represent their members with respect to issues which have a direct and immediate impact upon their working lives. These include, for example, workplace safety, equality of opportunity, and job security.

Beyond this, they are not given any mandate to represent members in terms of broader social or political movements, and should refrain from involvement in any such movements.

 
A broader social impact by default
Picking up on the last point, this is not to say that the social and/or political impact of unions should be confined strictly to the workplace.

Indeed, in the course of fulfilling their core functions, the impact of unions will naturally spread well beyond the workplace into a broad range of areas within the social and/or political arena. For an example, we only have to look at the impact which union efforts to achieve reasonable working hours has had upon areas such as family relationships and values, public health and participation rates in community or sporting clubs.

Another example is smoking, whereby union efforts to rid workplaces of smoking in some countries have no doubt added fuel to broader trends toward smoke-free venues in public places.

Finally, any union efforts to rid workplaces of ugly traits such as sexism or racism no doubt have a spillover effect in helping to raise broader societal awareness of such issues.

Provided they fulfill their core functions in an effective manner, unions will have a significant impact from a broader social perspective, and there is no need for them to involve themselves in social/political movements beyond the scope of their core functions.